Shadow Puppets
by Justanothersinger
Summary: It's only his first day here and he knows something his off. It's only his first week here and he feels something is wrong. At the end of the week though, he finds that his assumptions had been correct...and oh how he wishes that he'd been wrong. Crossposted on tumblr as heart-machine-drama-queen. Alice Mare AU
1. Don't Help Them

Shadow Puppets

Chapter 1: Don't Help Them

It was only his first day here and he could already tell that something was off.

Momo had told him that he had a power to see strange things. Strange not like the heroes from story books, but strangely normal, the smallest things that would escape other people's notice. Even the adults'.

That's what she told him anyway.

"You really don't remember anything?"

He shakes his head no, and he sees the smile on his teacher change. It became sad.

"I see. Well, if that changes, please tell me, ok?"

The 'teacher' talks strangely. He talks to the rest of the children, normal eleven-year olds like Shintaro as if he was one of them and asks them to call him only by title, not by name.  
His name was the first thing that Shintaro had asked, to which he replied, "Call me Teacher. It's easier to remember."

Shintaro was smart. He'd figured as much from the ease with which he thought, and the way he grasped things quickly, he was smart enough to remember a name at the very least.

He was also smart enough to know that teacher hid his name from them for an entirely different reason.

It was only his first week here and he feels something is wrong.

Even with this weird air around them. He'd slowly grown used to it, enough so that he can tell that no, something was different.

The other children at the house acted like children, but recently he'd seen enough of their behavior to notice that they seemed...more secretive somehow? More withdrawn?

At the same time he notices this, Teacher calls him again, this time to ask him how he was, whether he was adjusting to life there and did he have anything to say to him, to confide in him.

He refuses to think this is a coincidence.

"Is that so? Is there really nothing to tell me, Shintaro-kun?"

He shakes his head no and he sees Teacher's eyes change. Into what could only be called 'suspicion'.

Teacher was never suspicious.

Teacher was gentle. Kind. Scruffy, with shoulder-length messy hair and a sleepy face. Warm hands.

He sends Shintaro off with an instruction to interact more with the other children, not just Momo. Evidently, he'd noticed how the boy hangs around the very edge of the group, watching silently.

He has nothing to do, so he agrees.

He talks to a little girl, silent and thoughtful, and shy, who looks like she would disappear into thin air at any moment.

He talks to a little boy, who talks to birds and has a smile like sunshine.

He talks to a little boy, who says lies and half-truths with a cat-like smile and laughing eyes.

He talks to a little girl with long, fluffy white hair who is shy as well, but is surprisingly energetic and hangs around the boy with the sunshine smile quite often.

He talks to Momo, with her cheerful face and lovely singing voice, who seems to care a lot about him, even though she fights with him a lot.

He talks to a little boy with sad eyes and a fiery attitude, a sharp tongue.

He honestly doesn't know why they're all here, but he assumes they're all like himself; a helpless child with no place to go.

But was this the best place for him? For all of them?

Teacher meets him after dinner and asks him how he was again. He replies that he's fine and Teacher nods. He looks somewhat thoughtful, before he adds, "Hey, Shintaro-kun? If I told you that there was a World unlike our own, would you believe me?"

He replies no, of course not. Teacher smiles and says, "You're mature for your age, Shintaro-kun. Well, it's only a fairy tale. But...if there ever was a choice that you had to make, a choice exactly like that, it's best if you don't open the door.'

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Kano, the little liar boy, tells him of the whispering that comes from the second floor.

"_Help me...help me!_" He says in that same theatrical manner that he uses whenever he has a new story to tell, "They always yell and cry that every night. I'm a light sleeper, I've heard them more than once."

"Have you ever gone up there and seen what was happening?" Shintaro asks.

"What?! No way! I really don't want to get caught doing that." Kano grimaces, "Second-floor's off limits and Teacher may act like a ditz half the time, but he's really scary when he's mad."

_Kano's probably had a lot of experience with that._

But Shintaro has this horrible, horrible habit of being _curious_. Whenever he heard something that perked his interest, it would eat away at him, like a constant itch under his skin.

And he was _curious _about the voices.

That night, when he was sure everyone was asleep, he snuck out his room and went upstairs.

The voice weren't coming from the library, but instead the door next to it.

_The store-room? _

He opens the door and sure enough...

_Help me...please! Please help me!_

It was coming from the very back of the library. From that huge wooden case where thousands and thousands of colorful butterflies decorated the surface in a rainbow.

When the sun came through the door of the room, it mostly illuminates the case and the colors sparkle and shine in the otherwise gloomy room.

_...Butterflies can't talk, right? _

But the voices were coming from there...

He walks up to the case and the voices grow louder with each step.

He finally stops in front of the case and stares up at it.

A cluster of voices surround him, and they're so _loud_. It's almost impossible for him to think...

_So loud..._

_Shut up...I can't..._

_I can't...stand this!_

His hand reaches for the nearest butterfly, a pretty deep blue one. He pulls.

And a large shadow falls upon him.

He looks up to see the case wobble dangerously, before it leans over him.

And finally falls.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

_Blindfold House Rules and Regulations:_

_Rule #01  
_

_Going up to the second floor after night-time is strictly prohibited._

_If in the event that you find yourself on the second-floor landing, please return to the first floor as soon as possible._

_Refrain from accessing the storage room during those hours. Whatever noises heard are most likely a trick of the wind, or the house creaking in the storms._

_And most importantly;_

_Never__ approach to the butterfly showcase_

_Never touch the butterflies in the showcase_

_And never pull them free._

_Never__ 'help' them._

_ x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	2. Don't Follow Him

Shadow Puppets

Chapter 2: Don't Follow Him

He vaguely remembered reading it somewhere. That, apart from the mind, there existed another voice that controlled the body, that made it move while the mind was cast in the spell of shock or suspicion or disbelief.  
Depending on different people, different situations, the strength of the voice varied.

He didn't know if it was the same voice that told his legs to move.

He knew he didn't have much time to dwell on it either.

He jumped back a split second before the case came crashing to the ground.

A loud groan of wood cut off by the scream of shattering glass.

His hands came up to his face, as the voice told him to protect his eyes. His eyes, in turn, squeeze shut, almost as if his mind is attempting to block out his hearing ability through willpower alone.  
Of course, it doesn't work. The crash is thunderously loud, loud enough that it seems to travel up his body through his body, loud enough to seemingly stop his heart.

And as suddenly as it had started, it was over.

The silence is almost as deafening as the crash. His ears didn't know what to make of it for a few seconds.  
Finally, his mind seems to realize that there wasn't any more noise, that he was safe, he escaped.

His arms fall to his sides and he opens his eyes.

He's met with darkness, save for the faintest beam of light coming from the door behind him. His foot moves and is met with the tinkling of shards.  
Only then does he realize that someone is shouting behind him.

"Who's there?!"

The voice was almost unrecognizable even though the words were clear as day.

Kano was right.

He turns around to see Teacher run up to him, and the expression on his face was...it wasn't angry.  
His eyes were wild, but he wasn't angry.

"...Shintaro-kun?"

Shintaro remains mute, staring up at Teacher. Teacher stares back, his eyes darting from the child to the case and back.  
"Shintaro...kun? Why is..." His eyes widen as he finally understands the situation and he grabs Shintaro'a shoulders, demanding to know if he was alright.

Shintaro nods, and he could actually feel the tension draining from Teacher's body at his answer, feel Teacher's hands slacken and his sigh, "Thank goodness."  
Teacher's eyes flicker back towards the case, and before Shintaro knows it, words are tumbling out of his mouth. They sound hurried, almost nonsensical to his ears, but he vaguely hears the words case and butterfly and voices and Teacher's arms stretch towards him and pull him in.

Only when he's wrapped in Teacher's hug does he realize that he's shaking.

"There, there. Shhh. It's ok Shintaro-kun." Teacher says those words soothingly and he feels a warm hand sift through his hair, patting him gently.  
And Shintaro usually hates it when he's treated like a child-like how he's supposed to be treated, as others would usually tell him-but this time his hands grip Teacher's shirt as he returns the hug, feeling the shivering strengthen as his body gradually regains feeling.

Tears prick the corner of his eyes and that's when he knows that he really was scared.

He hates feeling scared.

It doesn't feel foreign to him. And that scared him more than anything else.

He ducks his head and tries to push Teacher away. Teacher does, but he holds Shintaro at arm's length, checking his condition.  
Shintaro knows that he's fine now. Or at least, that he feels a bit better. Stronger.

"I don't know what you heard, Shintaro-kun, but...those butterflies are dead. They can't talk, let alone ask for help."

He knows that. He knows that much, but...

He almost went deaf from all the shouting those butterflies were doing.

There was no way that was possible, but he somehow heard them.

"...Anyway, we should probably leave. You're sure you're not hurt right?"

Shintaro shakes his head and holds up his hands, showing smooth, unbroken skin. His face was uninjured too and from what he could tell in the dark, so was his knees and feet.

"Ok. Now, just carefully walk over the glass here..." Teacher takes his hand again and guides him over the glass pieces, telling him to make his footsteps light, not heavy.

Shintaro follows his words and soon, they're standing out in the hallway again, where Teacher says, "I'll clean up the glass, so you go back to sleep. Ok?"

"...Ok."

"Alright...and..." Teacher pauses, and Shintaro sees a grimace pass over his face before it quickly straightens out again.

"...Ah, sorry. I think I might've stung myself on the glass. It's...fine really. Don't worry, Shintaro-kun. Go on, go back to bed ok?"

And Shintaro walks back to his room without any more detours.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

He makes it back alright.

But what he wasn't counting on was someone else being in the room with him.

No. Not someone else, something else.

A black cat stares at him haughtily, a few steps away from his closet. As he stares back, the cat meows and hops inside a small gap between the doors, disappearing from his line of sight.

Shintaro stands there as he registers what he's seen, but his mind is already pre-occupied with the first instance of abnormality-one that could have severely injured him, if not killed him, he realizes with a tightening throat.

So the voice in his body acts again and tells him to follow the cat.

Before his mind could awaken and tell him it's a bad idea, he finds himself standing in front of the doors, staring at the gap.

His hand reaches for the knob.

The door creaks under his touch.

He pulls it open and instead of the regular back of the cupboard that he sees everyday, he is met with a darkness that is deep.

His foot moves.

His heart beats fast again, the only part of him that objects to the voice's decision. His foot moves over the threshold of the closet and aims for the floor.

It doesn't touch the floor.

And as if it was waiting for him, a powerful force pulls on his extended foot, and pulls his entire body in.

Before he could even scream, he is enveloped in darkness.

And the closet door closes shut with a final _thud. _

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Surrounded by darkness, he can feel nothing.

He can see nothing.

He can hear nothing.

And he should be panicking like he was just a few minutes ago.

But it's calming...this void.

This emptiness.

His eyes are useless in this darkness. They close and he continues drifting.

He opens them again when his feet touch the ground. And just as his body rights itself, light suddenly replaces darkness.

He blinks until his eyes adjust, and once they do he looks around.

The lights illuminate the tall black walls that are suddenly in front of him. He sees gaps in the walls that form a path of sorts.

And as if in a dream, he starts following that path.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

He sees another closet.

...He wasn't expecting _that_, it must be said. Did he have to go through another closet, fall through another series of voids?

As he approaches the closet, the doors open and hit the sides with a startlingly loud _bang_I

And before he even has the time to flinch, a figure hops out of the closet.

"...Hoh? Now this is a strange sight."

An outlandishly dressed figure, in tattered black with a hood covering a good part of his face. The only part of his face still-barely-visible showed a slitted, yellow eye, like a cat's.

"You're a strange human. A new one."

...

...

No, there was no other explanation for it. He fell asleep in the middle of the hallway and this turn of events was nothing more than a mad dream.

"If Alice says it's a dream, then it must be a dream." The figure says smoothly. His grin widens when he sees Shintaro's shock and says, "You have a terrible habit of speaking your thoughts, Alice. Best get that under control."  
"I'm not Alice." Is what he manages to say.

"Eh? How can that be?" The figure asked, and his tone is of mocking confusion, like the tone that adults often take around little children. Shintaro doesn't like him already.

"Alice is Alice! And that's because _I _say so." He says easily. His eye narrows under the hood of his cloak as Shintaro replies, "...That sounds wrong. You said just the opposite before."  
"Sharp little brat, aren't you?" He clicks his tongue and walks up to Shintaro, who flinches but stands his ground.

"Best be careful here, Alice. This place is absolutely _full _of weirdos. And I just happen to be one of them. Of course, I'm a cut above the rest of them."

"...Ugh. Just let me wake up already."

"Now why would you do that?" The cloaked figure sounds genuinely hurt here, "You just started this dream! You shouldn't wake up in the middle of a dream, you know. You should savor every little flavor of madness this dream will deliver." He pulls away and walks back towards the closet door, "But whatever your choice...I think it's irrelevant in the end, isn't it?"

"...Huh?"

"Sorry, Alice. I have to leave. Time's ticking and I am quite busy at the moment." Another eerie smile and the figure does a little mock-bow, "Rest assured though, I'll be seeing you quite soon."

And the figure pops back into the closet, doors shutting behind him.

Shintaro stares at the closet in front of him, before taking a cautious step. And another. And another.

He skirts the side of the closet and doesn't get a response.

_What a strange person._ Is what he thinks before he makes his way to the door at the end of the hallway.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

He sees another figure standing in front of him and braces himself.

But this person doesn't acknowledge him. Indeed, he doesn't see the boy at all.

Shintaro hangs around the edge of the doorway for a little while longer, but there's still no response.

...

...

...

Finally, the boy comes to a decision and walks straight up to the figure.

He's a little more easier to identify than the other person. He looked like a normal man with shoulder-length white hair and...bunny ears? Ear, Shintaro corrected himself, the other ear appeared to be broken off.  
Also, the person appeared to be sleeping. While standing up.

He was definitely sleeping; his eyes were closed and an occasional light snore worked its way to his mouth...but...what...

Shintaro decided that he'd had quite enough thinking for one night and strengthens his resolve before poking the person in the stomach.

His eyes open almost immediately.

"Zzz-huh?! I wasn't sleeping! Really!"

"...O...Ok...?"

"Huh?" The figure blinks at him, "Oh...a new child? That makes...seven? Seven." He nods to himself. His words are slow, oddly slow, like he's still sleeping. Talking in his sleep, "Seven Alices. Um...welcome, Alice. I'm the White Rabbit, the guide to these worlds."

"Worlds?"

"Yes. Worlds. I'm here if you need assistance. But...I can't move from here."

"You..what?"

"I can't move. I have to eat and sleep in this exact same spot." The rabbit actually looks upset here, "It's really hard."

"Can't you just walk to that corner over there? Anywhere?"

"No...I can't move." The rabbit says with finality, even though he looks clearly discomfited with the statement, "And...that's really bad. Because the keys have gone missing."

"Keys?"

"Keys to the other worlds. Or...to you, doors? I think they're doors. Uh. I'm pretty sure five out of six of them are gone. And I think he has them...but I can't move."

"..."

"Uh, I'm sorry...but can you please help me?"

"...Help you get the keys back?"

"Please?" And the White Rabbit gives him a pleading look. A puppy-dog look even.

"...Ok." Because Shintaro honestly had no idea what else to do at this point.

Not to mention, he was still _curious. _Curious of this new world and the secrets that it held. The strangeness of the cloaked figure and this rabbit person were more than enough to pique his interest, along with the growing certainty that he was still awake and _this was not a dream_.

So...was this real? Was this actually happening?

Was all this...really happening?

He needed to know.

"Here's the key to the first world." The rabbit hands him a little metal key, that looks more like a decoration than anything, "He's scattered all the keys over the worlds and you have to go through each of them to get it back. Six worlds."  
"Hmmm...alright. But who is this person who stole the keys?"

"He's...another guide. But he's bad." The White Rabbit points to his ear, "He was a bad person who tore off my ear. And made me sick like this."

"He's dangerous?"

"He won't hurt you." But that didn't feel like an answer to Shintaro's question, "Thank you for helping me."

"Ah...you're welcome."

"The first world door is through there." The rabbit pointed to the door behind him, "And if you need me...um...you have to come back here. Because I can't move. Sorry."

"Ok." Shintaro nods and makes his way to the door. The rabbit turns around and stares at him. He could still move around that spot, it seems.

But even though the rabbit appeared friendly, his stare was...unnerving. Inquisitive in the most innocent way, but unnerving.

Shintaro shakes his head and opens the door in front of him, key at the ready.

And sees a roiling, dark mass in front of him.

It grabs his outstretched arm and pulls him inside, the door slamming shut behind him.

**_"Where do you think _you're _going, boy?"_**

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

_Blindfold House Rules and Regulations_

_Rule #02_

_If in the event that Rule #01 has been compromised_

_Please make your way back to your room immediately._

_Disregard any movements that you may or may not see._

_Nothing will harm you._

_But if you do see something, most likely near the closet or the foot of your bed_

_Ignore it._

_And most importantly:_

_Do not make any move to approach it._

_Do not follow it under any circumstance._

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x


	3. Don't Talk to Ghosts

**Yoruhoshi Shiro: Ah thank you! Truthfully, the actual RPG I've based this on is more disturbing than anything, but I tend to take things a little _too _far. As illustrated in this chapter.**

**Ayano Onee-Chan the Bunny: Sorry for the wait! I hope you like this chapter too!**

**ScarletBloomSword: To be more specific, this story is set in the universe of the Alice Mare horror RPG. And thank you so much aaaah, I hope this chapter meets your expectations!**

_**Trigger Warnings: Cannibalism and child abuse(implied).**_

Shadow Puppets

Chapter 3: Don't Talk to Ghosts

Surrounded by darkness, he couldn't see.

His eyes were useless in the dark.

He didn't want to see. He didn't want to open them.

...

...?

Why didn't he want to open them?

He fumbles around in the dark before he feels cold, black fabric under his fingers.

Familiar.

...

...How did he know that it was _black _fabric?

He opens his eyes again and sees the fabric in question all around him and he looks up to see a yellow eye look back. "Boo!"

"...!" He tries to turn around but strong hands place themselves on his shoulder, "Whoa, careful. You seem to have a dangerous object in your hand there, Alice. That's no ordinary key."

Shintaro pushes himself away and glares at him, as he continues, "How are you doing? Me? I'm doing quite well for myself...and no, I didn't steal those keys you're looking for", he says seeing the suspicion on the boy's face, "...well, I kind of did, but that's only because someone else asked me to take them."

_Someone else? _Shintaro opened his mouth to ask, but the figure shook his head, "Can't tell you. I'm quite gifted in lying, it must be said, but I won't lie to you _friend._" He says, and the title is dripping in ill-intent.

"Why did you say the key was dangerous?"

"Caught that, have you." Shintaro hates to look at the smile on the figure's face. Or what he could see of it anyway. But even that limited view unnerved him, he can see a wide grin that seemed ill-fitting on a normal, human face and seemed insincere, oily and didn't match the unreadable glint in that single, yellow eye, "...Just don't prick yourself on that. Or prick yourself, if you want. As I've said before, it's up to you, Alice."

"Is there any other way to unlock these doors?"

"Of course not", the figure scoffs, "Unless..." he appears to think it over, then his grin widens even more and he asks, "You tell me your mother's maiden name? Or your dog's name?" He cocks his head, "Oh? You don't remember them? A shame...but I wouldn't have been able to tell you anyway." He waves his arm in a single sweep, a dramatic gesture, "I'm nothing more than a Guide to these Worlds. I give hints, not answers. And my hint is: it's a trail."

"A trail?"

"One Key leads to one World. And that World has another Key. And that unlocks the other World and so on and so on and so on", He says, shrugging.

"Ugh..."

"It's a pain." The figure agrees, nodding, "But then again, rules are rules. Quite unfortunate. It's as much of a pain as that guy is."

"That guy?"

"The White Rabbit. Just saying his name makes me...uncomfortable." He shudders and Shintaro realizes that this was the other guide that person, the White Rabbit, talked about. Didn't that mean that he was the one who injured him, though?

"He put up quite a fight as well." The robed figure said, tutting as Shintaro looks at him again, surprised, "I told you; talking your thoughts, saying them out loud is a terrible habit. That rabbit left me with some nasty injuries of my own." He pointed to his hood, "...Would you like to see them? Ah, no, it might prove too unsettling for a child to handle."

"...Oh? You don't like me calling you a child, Alice?" He asks, as he sees the irritation on the boy's expression, "Isn't that what you are?"

"I am, but..."

"You're right. You're far too...empty to be considered human. Let alone a child." He says, "It's quite interesting. But I must go, Alice. Time's ticking and I have a job to do. I'll be seeing you again, quite soon."

And like that, the figure vanished into thin air.

Shintaro looks around cautiously, but no, the robed figure was gone and he was alone. And he also appeared to be standing in a hallway.

The most noticeable thing about this room was the large white sign that stood in the center, a huge white sign that towered over the little boy and as Shintaro approached the sign, he noticed that there were little black letters that danced on the white surface, strangely...foggy. That was the only way he could describe it; the words were still recognizable, written in a language that he knew, but they seemed to dance on the edge of his comprehension, he knew that he could read them and he did with extreme difficulty; it was almost as if he were reading it through fogged glass and the ink was made of live ants that scurried over the surface.

_One must not peer into the heart of Man,_  
_For the heart is ever-questioning._  
_Up to two times can be forgiven._  
_But one who cannot answer_  
_The heart's third question..._

_"...Will fall into an eternal slumber." _

"...How morbid." Shintaro says out loud.

He walks away from the sign and towards one of the doors. He tries to open it, but the handle rattles uselessly under his fingertips. _Locked...but I do have a key. __  
_

He studies the key. It appears to be made of silver and it shines in the light. Apart from the tip that opens locks; with jagged, pointy teeth that he'd never seen on a key before, the other end had intricate latticework on it, the work reminded him of the expensive metal gates that protected the houses of the rich. And surrounded by the pretty curves of metal was a tiny tree, surprisingly detailed, considering the small surface of its canvas.

And as he looks towards the doors again, he notices that all of them have windows, which in turn are protected by bars, the corners of the windows decorated with the same metal latticework as the key. And on the top of the window on the door to his far left, a tree glinted in the light from above, identical to the one on his key.  
How convenient.

He makes his way to the door, stares up its oddly blank, smooth purple surface before he tries to open it. Locked again.

He inserts the key into the lock. It turns.

And when he tries the handle again, the door swings open silently.

"Ah, Alice."

Shintaro blinks as a familiar voice calls his name and he steps inside to see a figure dressed in purple sitting on the edge of a bed.

"Good to see you." The girl says with a smile. Her eyes were the same as they were back in the real world; tired and wary. When Shintaro enters the room, the door shuts behind him and the key in his hand disintegrates to powder.  
Startled, he looks at his hand and back at Kido and makes his way back to the door.

It opens. So he wasn't locked in here...?

"Alice? Is something wrong?"

"...No, not really."

"Ah...if you say so. Well, shall we play a game, Alice?"

Shintaro looks back at her.

He was wrong; her eyes weren't the same. After all, they never glowed a vivid, inhuman red in the real world.

"...Sure."

"Great. So can you do me a favor and open that cupboard for me?"

She points to a cupboard that resembles his own, sitting in his own bedroom back in his dreamworld and he nods, throat dry. He sighs, walks towards it, opens the door.

And leaps straight in.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

His back hurts and his cheek is cold.

And when he gets up, a thin blanket slides off of him. He blinks a little and rubs his eyes, but that fails to improve his vision.

_It's too dark to see. _He slowly gets to his feet, wincing at the stiffness of his joints and stretches a little and when his eyes adjust a little, he looks around.

He seems to be in some sort of closed space. Not a room. When he stretches his arms, he touches the ceiling. An attic, perhaps?

A small square is lit up some ways away from him and when he walks towards it, he realizes it's the trap door for the attic and the light is coming from downstairs. Also that the trap door is locked. And when he knocks against the wood, he hears a voice, a voice that seems to sap the heat from his body and the beats from his heart, that steals his breath and creeps down his spine. An awful, _awful _voice.

**_'d...dEaR? IS thAt youUUUUU?'_**

He doesn't respond and he hisses as he feels the knob suddenly burn at his arm and even when he pulls away, the scalding feeling continues to linger, as if his skin is being pulled apart, his muscles and bones set on fire.  
_It...it hurts..._

He quickly walks away from the trap door, staring at it all the while. In the process, he bumps against something flat and hard and he turns to see a bookshelf behind him.

And near the bookshelf lay a single book, splayed open on the floor. On one of the pages was a family portrait; a man, a woman, a little girl and a baby in the woman's arms.

_'Dear?', _whispers the voice in his thoughts and he looks back towards the trap door. He picks up the book with his uninjured hand and fumbles around for a light source, eventually settling on a battery-powered flashlight that lay close to his sleeping quarters. He shines the light on his book, reading the words on the page next to the picture.

**_There once was a woman. A beautiful woman,_ **  
**_Of noble heritage proud_**  
**_A family of none, a husband well-off_**  
**_A king among the mortals' crowd._**

_Flip._

**_Her daughter beautiful, her image her father's_**  
_A woman mirror of her beloved  
__Their child happiness, sunshine incarnate  
__His words, his ability to speak she did covet._

_Flip._

**_They had a tradition, a strange tradition_ **  
**_'Knock on wood, each, three times', said she_**  
**_Protection against evil, a good-luck charm_**  
**_Safe and healthy, they shall be._**

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

**_'dEaR?'_**

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

**_'...'_**

**_'...mY...lovElY...dAuGhtER?'_**

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

**_'...'_**

**_'...mY. CHILd.'_**

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

**_'...'_**

**_'Oh! What are you doing up there, my dear? Come on out!'_**

_Click._

He opens the trap door without any problems and finds a ladder propped up next to the attic entrance.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

_Flip._

**_There once was a woman. An ugly woman. _ **  
**_Who sought riches, wealth and beauty above all_**  
**_A deal with the shadows of her home did she make_**  
**_A demon, who she summoned to her beck and call._**  
**_For every wish, they took a soul_**  
**_Her parents fell first to her whims_**  
**_And her new family, her beautiful family_**  
**_Their futures seemed oh so dim._**

_Flip._

**_A promise in secret, the time for reaping_ **  
**_Another deal made to be kept_**  
**_The time when the sound of knocking ceased_**  
**_Souls taken, and yet she never wept_**  
**_Indeed, the only sounds this night_**  
**_Riddled with the scent of poison and wine_**  
**_Were the screams of the children, her beloved dear_**  
**_As they saw their mother with rotted skin_**  
**_And eyes red as blood as she feasted on her loved ones_**  
**_One_**  
**_By_**  
**_One_**  
**_On all of them did she dine._**

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

At the bottom of the stairs, Shintaro notices what appeared to be a scrap of notebook.

_'Papa smiles when he sees me. I like seeing Papa smile. But when Papa goes to work, I don't like to leave my room. The house feels cold.'_

_'It's cold in the mornings when I wake up. But it's also cold outside my room.'_

_'I have plenty of books to read, though. So I keep myself occupied.'_

Shintaro tucks the paper into his pocket, ignoring the slight trembling of his hands and looks around, taking in his new surroundings.

_Another hallway._ It was smaller than the hallway of his dreams...but was this a dream too? He'd assume so.

But the pain in his arm felt real, horrifyingly real.

He stretches his arm, sucking in his breath at the pain that shot through him at the action and lowers it again.

_Don't think about it. For now, let's just...go with the flow._

Dreams aren't supposed to make sense, after all.

_But too much makes sense here for it to be a dream._

_Where am I?_

When he opens the door nearest to him, he finds a familiar sight. A girl dressed in purple on a bed, but here she was lying down, not sitting on the edge of the mattress and for a minute, Shintaro thought she was sleeping.  
She proves him wrong when she sits up, blinking slowly at him. "...Shintaro?" Kido asked sleepily, "What are you...oh." She seems to notice the bed she was sleeping on and then looks around the room, "...I seem to have overstayed my welcome." She continues with a chuckle, blocking a yawn with her hand, "Anyway, it's good to see you here."

She gets off the bed and kneels beside it, a frown gradually taking over her features as she stares under the bed, "That's odd. Shintaro, do you see a shoe anywhere?"

"A shoe?" Shintaro asks, doing a quick scan of the room as she gets up and moves towards the other side of the room, "No, I don't."

"I see." She says finally, "Um...can you help me find my shoe?"

"Eh? What's the big deal? It's only a shoe. And you don't even need to wear it inside the house, don't you?"

"Yes but-"

"Oh? What do we have here?" A voice interrupts them, silky smooth with the undertones of an oily grin that Shintaro had come to hate.

"Looking for something, Alice?"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x


End file.
